Top stories
TPR focuses on driving consolidation in new corporate plan
‘Our focus is not just on the fundamentals of driving high levels of compliance, but also working together to enhance the system and support innovation in savers’ interests’
Veritas' Vatanen joins rival Elo as head of asset allocation
As Veritas starts searching for a replaceent, Laura Wickström, portfolio manager, will be acting CIO at Veritas as of 30 April
Ethos and investors coalition turn to court as TotalEnergies throws out resolution
Ethos Foundation bewails French oil and gas giant’s ‘flagrant disregard’ for shareholder rights
PKBS cuts insurance-linked securities for fixed income, domestic property
teh scheme’s ILS active portfolio posted returns of -4.98% last year
Swiss schemes see ‘significant improvement’ in Q1 funding ratios, says Swisscanto
Almost all pension funds have now reached a 100% funding ratio, and only 0.2% remain underfunded
ISSB’s digital taxonomy to help investors assess sustainability disclosures
The ISSB Taxonomy will enable investors to search, extract and compare sustainability-related financial disclosures as ISSB establishes its global baseline of standards
Janus Henderson enters European ETF market, while Crédit Mutuel and La Française merge
$335bn Janus Henderson already has a successful active proposition in the US
UK defined benefit schemes overspend £300m each year, report finds
Spence & Partners has calculated that removing inefficiencies could save an average 1,000-member scheme £105,000 per year in running costs
Shell investors urge peers over climate resolution
Votes cast will ‘resonate across the fossil fuel industry’, say major Shell investors in a briefing for their peers
ASIP’s director points finger at ‘double game’ played by unions in pensions reform
Lukas Müller-Brunner says poverty in old age has fallen dramatically largely thanks to occupational pension provisions
People moves: Former NEST chief joins Standard Life Master Trust board
Plus: Royal London restructures global equity team
Veritas' Vatanen joins rival Elo as head of asset allocation
As Veritas starts searching for a replaceent, Laura Wickström, portfolio manager, will be acting CIO at Veritas as of 30 April
People moves: Former NEST chief joins Standard Life Master Trust board
Plus: Royal London restructures global equity team
ÄVWL’s CEO Christian Mosel departs for early retirement
The CEO’s exit was due to a confidential personal matter
Striking the right balance on pension funds and fiduciary duty
Pension fund investment principles, strategies and decision-making have all become more complex in the wake of the growth of sustainability factors in general and climate change in particular. This has made the interpretation and practice of trustee ‘fiduciary duties’ more vexed and challenging than ever. A recent review of fiduciary duties in the UK by the Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) put it this way: “It is sometimes easier to state the duties than it is to apply them.”
The importance of board decisions in an uncertain world
In the foreword to this new book, the CIO of CERN Pension Fund, Dr Elena Manola-Bonthond, says that, in her experience, investment alpha is scarce and very often difficult to access. It can be costly and its persistence is sometimes questionable. But there are other types of alpha that are more accessible and governance alpha is definitely one of them.
Australia faces up to the cost of pandemic pension early release
Four years after Australians were allowed to withdraw superannuation savings to deal with the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, they now know emergency measures will cost the nation A$85bn (€51bn) in future pension payments.
Young pension employees clamour for learning and interaction
Many young professionals are deterred from pursuing careers in pensions due to insufficient knowledge and a perceived lack of career progression
Small island states turn to institutional investors to protect oceans
Small island developing states may have a total population of only around 65 million, but through their exclusive economic zones they control about 30% of oceans and seas, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
Swiss pension funds hold onto private equity investments
Schemes stick to strategic quotas, pushing back on government plans to support local economy
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive final text gets green light
MEPs have now signed-off on an agreement which means the law will only apply to very large companies
Modelling shows net-zero investing can be profitable
Since the acceptance of the Paris Agreement in 2015, which bound nations to a legal commitment to reduce global temperatures, there has been a clear shift towards net-zero investing. While socially responsible investments are crucial for the mitigation of climate change, recent calls to row back on ESG funds suggest some hesitation.
Thematics Asset Management’s CIO on themes and investment challenges
Out of the 19 boutiques businesses belonging to the Natixis Investment Management franchise, Thematics Asset Management is by no means the smallest, but it is not exactly a juggernaut, managing €3.3bn of assets at the end of last year. Yet, it is actively contributing to what could be a crucial evolutionary step for global investors.
Sweden’s AP3 pension fund and its quest for alpha
Jonas Thulin, recently appointed CIO of Sweden’s Tredje AP-Fonden (AP3), talks to Carlo Svaluto Moreolo about his approach to asset allocation and portfolio management
Merseyside pension fund dials down domestic bias
Scheme’s strategic ambition is to move closer to the MSCI World index weightings
IPE Magazine May 2024
Read the latest issue of IPE Magazine
Browse the digital edition and find highlights from this month's issue below
Digital edition of IPE magazine
May Highlights
Is buyout still the gold standard for UK pension funds?
Improved funding positions mean more DB schemes are considering run-on rather than off-loading their liabilities
European high yield stands its ground
Investors flocked to the European junk bond market last year and despite a strong US economy, there is still appetite for European issuers
Young pension employees clamour for learning and interaction
Many young professionals are deterred from pursuing careers in pensions due to insufficient knowledge and a perceived lack of career progression
Merseyside pension fund dials down domestic bias
Scheme’s strategic ambition is to move closer to the MSCI World index weightings
Pension funds revisit allocations to China
European pension funds have reduced their allocations to China as the outlook for the country’s economy becomes more uncertain
European high yield stands its ground
Investors flocked to the European junk bond market last year and despite a strong US economy, there is still appetite for European issuers
IPE Quest Expectations Indicator - May 2024
EU parliamentary elections are approaching fast. Current polls predict a shift to the right, with the current centrist parties remaining dominant and the extremist right overtaking the Eurosceptics. US President Donald Trump is still liable to be convicted in a criminal case, but his poll figures are rising.
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